Certain types of polymers exhibit film-forming properties and when dissolved in a solvent, can be applied for the purpose of providing a coating on a substrate. Usually, the film-forming polymer in the solvent is applied to the particular substrate to be coated, and the solvent is allowed to evaporate or removed leaving a film of the polymer. Generally, however, such film-forming polymers are soluble only in organic solvents. The use of such organic solvents generally is undesirable since they exhibit environmentally adverse properties, are often hazardous or flammable, and are generally expensive. In order to avoid the environmentally adverse effects of such organic solvents as well as to reduce the cost involved with using such solvents, rather complicated solvent recovery procedures must be used.
Typical of such polymers are copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone with .alpha.-olefins, vinyl acetate, styrene, acrylates, acrylic acids, amides, maleic acid, mono and diesters of maleic acids, and the like.